On Wednesday 23rd April, I visited State GuestHouse park with Roger. State GuestHouse park is inside the premises of Xijiao State Guest hotel located at Hongqiao road close to Shuicheng Road subway station(line 10). However entry to public is restricted as the Hotel accomodates only govt. officials and party people. I had the privilege to visit through the influence of Roger. Sometimes foreigners have advantages too, thanks to Roger’s 关系.

We scored migrants here and there in the form of Asian Brown Flycatcher, Blue and White Flycatcher, Narcissus Flycatcher, Yellow-browed and Pallas’s Leaf Warbler, Eastern-crowned Warbler, Manchurian Bush Warbler.

The real treat was a bird wave of Yellow-browed Leaf Warblers had 3 Black-throated Tits and 5 Long-tailed Tits. My first sighting in Shanghai. I have seen sightings of Black-throated Tits in Songjiang district but this is the closest to the city centre. Well, the surprise didn’t stop there, numerous Oriental Magpie Robin’s in the park gave me a question why there is single one of them outside the park? The park has plenty of water and bamboo and gives the feel of Hangzhou and that explains the birds as well. The final surprise came in the form of Crested Goshawk, not one but three of them.

I could not ask more for a half a day birding before turning into office for a graveyard shift. This winter i was late to Hangzhou and the crowd for “Cherry Blossom” festival totally disastrous for my Hangzhou birding. State Guesthouse park was a nice equalizer. All is well. Stay tuned for the Spring break update of week 3.

Robin,Oriental_Magpie_002

Am i confiding?

Goshawk,Crested_004

Secretive? Not at all

Tit,Long_tailed_003

Mouthful